Driver of the Race - Brazil

[steveaki13]

Vote in this poll

[N4D13]

Rosberg - flawless display and a great example of how to produce a controlled win.

Verstappen also gets a mention, but he almost became the donkey in that near miss with Pérez. And there's got to be someone else whom I don't remember.

[steveaki13]

I voted for Vettel

In a race where Mercedes almost lapped the field, for Vettel to only finish 10 odd seconds behind them is an outstanding effort.

Mercedes could run half power and probably beat everyone but Sebastian.

[steveaki13]

Other mentions after Vettel

Rosberg - Great drive to be composed and beat Lewis.
Raikkonen- Way behind Seb but always is. Good for him not to crash and get 4th.
Bottas - Solid drive to finish 5th
Hulkenberg did a great job for 6th compared to many others.
Verstappen - Finished down in positions but was aggressive and tried to pass.

[longisland]

Verstappen for providing most of the highlights of the race. Rosberg did a solid job in keeping Hamilton at bay.

[driveace]

Vettel In a second rated car for me
Vestappen also is Magic too !
The thing I dont like about Rosberg is the arrogance !And he won the race in a superior car with coaching from his pit crew

[Mia 01]

Have to give it to Rosberg. Not a single mistake!

[dj_bytedisaster]

The thing I dont like about Rosberg is the arrogance! And he won the race in a superior car with coaching from his pit crew

Seriously, when I try to put the "arrogant" sign on any F1 driver, Rosberg is certainly not the first name that springs to mind. Funnily enough Schumacher, Vettel and Frentzen usually were called arrogant, too. Could that be that some people mislabel the usually reserved German attitude as arrogant?

[truefan72]

Seriously, when I try to put the "arrogant" sign on any F1 driver, Rosberg is certainly not the first name that springs to mind. Funnily enough Schumacher, Vettel and Frentzen usually were called arrogant, too. Could that be that some people mislabel the usually reserved German attitude as arrogant?

In Rosbergs case arrogant isn't the word but probably a lack of hubris or unashamed cavalier attitude to being coached and hand gifted the race for a 2nd time in succession.
1. remember is somewhat weird and disturbing exuberance after claiming monaco pole in 2014
2. I remember his weird and disturbing exuberance after winning monaco 2015
3. And his brazil post race comments in the PR sessions were astounding in their tone deafness and weirdness.

He may be a half decent driver, but he is certainly an odd sorta guy.

[The Black Knight]

In Rosbergs case arrogant isn't the word but probably a lack of hubris or unashamed cavalier attitude to being coached and hand gifted the race for a 2nd time in succession.
1. remember is somewhat weird and disturbing exuberance after claiming monaco pole in 2014
2. I remember his weird and disturbing exuberance after winning monaco 2015
3. And his brazil post race comments in the PR sessions were astounding in their tone deafness and weirdness.

He may be a half decent driver, but he is certainly an odd sorta guy.

You've pretty much summed it up there how I feel as well. I didn't have any particular issue with his post Brazil comments per sae, but points 1 and 2 I completely agree with. He just seems happy to win whatever way he can. Then again, when you've spent most of your career being outshone and beaten by Lewis Hamilton then I guess you'll take what you can get whenever you can get it.

[N4D13]

I find it funny that someone would argue that Rosberg has been gifted two wins in the last two races. Apparently the fact that he's taken both pole positions, kept track position and thus had the first call for strategy, as has been the case with Mercedes for the whole season doesn't really matter.

A difference between Hamilton and Rosberg is that when Rosberg is behind Hamilton, he doesn't seem to whine so often on not being given a different strategy by the team in order to beat Lewis. When Lewis is in front and he pits, you know that Nico is going to stop a lap later. When Hamilton is behind we get the usual Hamilton moaning and the suspicions that he is being gifted a win by the team.

I have a soft spot for Rosberg myself, and have had it since the German started racing in Formula One. However, I think I don't let my particular appreciation or dislike for a driver cloud my judgment and, for instance, ignore the fact that the way Mercedes' strategy has worked in the last few races has been exactly the same as for all the races before then. And I don't recall a single person in these forums claiming that Lewis was gifted a single win by the team.

[The Black Knight]

I find it funny that someone would argue that Rosberg has been gifted two wins in the last two races. Apparently the fact that he's taken both pole positions, kept track position and thus had the first call for strategy, as has been the case with Mercedes for the whole season doesn't really matter.

A difference between Hamilton and Rosberg is that when Rosberg is behind Hamilton, he doesn't seem to whine so often on not being given a different strategy by the team in order to beat Lewis. When Lewis is in front and he pits, you know that Nico is going to stop a lap later. When Hamilton is behind we get the usual Hamilton moaning and the suspicions that he is being gifted a win by the team.

I have a soft spot for Rosberg myself, and have had it since the German started racing in Formula One. However, I think I don't let my particular appreciation or dislike for a driver cloud my judgment and, for instance, ignore the fact that the way Mercedes' strategy has worked in the last few races has been exactly the same as for all the races before then. And I don't recall a single person in these forums claiming that Lewis was gifted a single win by the team.

I don't believe for a second that Rosberg w as gifted a win. He got them fair and square. I just think that Mercedes could try putting teammates on a different strategy if they want it now that they have won the championship.

I can only recall Hamilton complaining since the championship is over about the strategy and I can understand his point there as well.

I see both sides of the coin from both team and drivers perspective. We know going into Abhi Dhabi that if the two Mercs get into the first corner first, then barring a pit stop blunder or mechanical failure the order they enter that corner is the order they are going to finish and, since the championship is over, I find that pretty boring.

[dj_bytedisaster]

You've pretty much summed it up there how I feel as well. I didn't have any particular issue with his post Brazil comments per sae, but points 1 and 2 I completely agree with. He just seems happy to win whatever way he can. Then again, when you've spent most of your career being outshone and beaten by Lewis Hamilton then I guess you'll take what you can get whenever you can get it.

First of all, you have to understand one thing - He suffers the same problem as Schumacher, Frentzen, Vettel and the likes. They try to translate German one-to-one into English. That in itself doesn't work, because if you do that you sound abrasive by default. I've spent ten years of watching Top Gear to learn the subtlety of the English language and even that doesn't save me from failing most of the time.

As for his "exuberance". He was the one, who suffered through four mediocre seasons at Merc and built the team together with Schumacher. When things finally went better they brought in that guy, who walks into the paddock looking like Mr. T on a windy day who reaps what he sowed - I'd take everything I can get as well. Especially since "board chairman" Lauda is so blatantly pro-Hamilton. I wouldn't be surprised if his celebrations haven't got an "IN YOUR FACE" element to it, to shove it up Lauda's barbecued arse.

You have to realise that Hamilton is the only one who outshone Rosberg. In the junior years he raced in other series without Lewis, he spanked the competition, so Rosberg is far from mediocre on his own.

[dj_bytedisaster]

I find it funny that someone would argue that Rosberg has been gifted two wins in the last two races. Apparently the fact that he's taken both pole positions, kept track position and thus had the first call for strategy, as has been the case with Mercedes for the whole season doesn't really matter.

That's because you fail to comprehend the first principle of British F1 logic. If Rosberg fails to overtake Lewis, it's because he's crap. If Lewis fails to overtake Rosberg, it's the track's fault.

[The Black Knight]

First of all, you have to understand one thing - He suffers the same problem as Schumacher, Frentzen, Vettel and the likes. They try to translate German one-to-one into English. That in itself doesn't work, because if you do that you sound abrasive by default. I've spent ten years of watching Top Gear to learn the subtlety of the English language and even that doesn't save me from failing most of the time.

As for his "exuberance". He was the one, who suffered through four mediocre seasons at Merc and built the team together with Schumacher. When things finally went better they brought in that guy, who walks into the paddock looking like Mr. T on a windy day who reaps what he sowed - I'd take everything I can get as well. Especially since "board chairman" Lauda is so blatantly pro-Hamilton. I wouldn't be surprised if his celebrations haven't got an "IN YOUR FACE" element to it, to shove it up Lauda's barbecued arse.

You have to realise that Hamilton is the only one who outshone Rosberg. In the junior years he raced in other series without Lewis, he spanked the competition, so Rosberg is far from mediocre on his own.

That's an interesting point but I've never really noticed that German people have that kind of problem. One of my best friends if a native German and her English is perfect but maybe some people do have that issue you are speaking about. Rosberg's English seems to be amazing to me, as does Vettel's while Schumacher's probably wouldn't have been up to the same standard as them but it's a fair point you make.

I've always found Lauda to be pretty unbiased to be honest. He always says who is better and who is worse and gives equal praise to both drivers after the race. I think to say he is biased towards one driver is pretty harsh.

I'm not denying and never denied what a fantastic driver Nico Rosberg is. I think he's one of the best in the sport, just not in the top top tier where Hamilton belongs.

[dj_bytedisaster]

I've always found Lauda to be pretty unbiased to be honest. He always says who is better and who is worse and gives equal praise to both drivers after the race. I think to say he is biased towards one driver is pretty harsh.


Lauda is extremely two-faced. I watch both British and German coverage and he often says one thing to the English speaking media and something completely different on German TV for which he's been working as a pundit for over a decade. And you get a third, completely different, version on ORF (Austrian TV). He's quite a shady character and a spin doctor extra-ordinaire.